502procharger

Ok I am looking for advise on how i should rig a 30' Chris cat with a single drive off of the center pod. My problem is that it is a shallow center pod and i do not know what height compared to the bottom of the side sponsons i should have the drive set. Should the propshaft be at about the same level as the bottom of the side sponsons? Should it be higher, lower? What? Here is a picture. Please disregard the standoff outboard mounts that i have not removed yet. Any help, or advice would be great. Oh, by the way the reason i am only using one drive is because i am using a 1200hp turbine.

cobra marty

What is all that hanging off the transom? It looks like the center and side sponsons are extended? What drive are you planning to use with 1200HP? I have a 30' Cobra cat single engine and the prop shaft is 3" above the bottom of the outside sponsons. I would strip all that off and see what you got. Clearence will to some degree determine the drive location.

502procharger

All that crap is being removed it is actually a comp. Extension box for the center pod and the side sponsons for the 4 outboards it was rigged with. I would love to get some info on the luck have had with a single drive 30' cat. I think i am going with a #5 or #6 beefed up. I need a drive i can hang to make up for the shallow center pod. Do you have a full center pod? I just posted the picture to show the diff. between the center and the side sponsons

502procharger

come on, anyone else with any idea's or input. Cobra marty i would love to here more about your setup. thanks for the info guys

azlineman

Have you considered an ARNESON drive. It might be the way to go w/ the shallow center pod. You can use a drop gear-box. Give Rik Wimp a call @ Arneson. He will give you some good ideas. Good luck, sounds like an awsome project. I remember that boat for sale.

cobra marty

I don't actually have a center pod at all. It is not flat either but a 2" shallow v shape to the tunnel. Once you strip all that off the back I'm sure there will be only one location for the drive and engine to mount so everythime fits. If the prop shaft is not in the right location then drive spacers will help. Good luck.

Gary Anderson

The chris cat doesn't really have a cebter pod. It just looks like they added an extension to the shallow V in the tunnel. I'm not sure if a center drive will work without a true center pod (ie, warlock, eliminator). You may have to fabricate some kind of pod/drive housing. I think Arneson used to have a full tunnel cat with a single surface drive, but I never heard how it ran.
As another alternative, how about splitting the output to 2 drives.
See this link. They have a RR Gnome (1400 hp) split to 2 drives. I'm not sure if the splitterbox is a for sale item, but maybe they can help.
http://home.wxs.nl/~liberty/gasturbine/

Gary

Wally

iTrader: (1)

T2X is the man to ask about this cat...i talked with him about this very same issue about this very same cat a few months ago!
But i was asking about converting it to twin I/O's.......he said that he advised against it cause the hulls are set up differently structuraly for outboards and I/O's.....as for a trubine....???? no clue....i'm sure its gonna be alot of custom fabricating so it may not make a difference.

502procharger

Well the engine compartments are set up much different for the outboards. The fuel tanks would have to be moves, as would the stringers if you wanted to put 2 I/O in it. The turbine is much smaller and will fit between the exsisting stringers and the fuel tanks do not need to be touched. I think that is what he was referring to. Gary, there is an extension box on there but the tunnel looks just like the back of that box. It runs about 1/2 way to the front of the boat like that before it tapers back flush with the rest of the hull. I think that would be considered a center pod, but i do not know for sure. I do know that there are people out there running single drives in similar hulls, i just need to find out who they are and shoot the **** with them a little. I know this is not going to be an easy project, but it sure will be fun.

Wally, how do i get in touch with t2x?

Wally

iTrader: (1)

502, just do a member search fon his name then hit his profile....you can email him from there.....or just go to the general discussion area and post a new thread looking for him.. Should be easy enough.